The center will treat anyone with gastrointestinal issues, ranging from stomach cancer to Crohn's disease.

“All of the physicians, all of the expertise is here,” said Dr. Cherif Boutros, chairman of Surgical Oncology at the hospital and head of the new unit.

The center will offer medical, surgical and diagnostic services for patients with gastrointestinal problems. It will include specialists in gastroenterology as well as surgeons, nutritionists, genetic counselors, social workers and pain management specialists.

Hospital officials described it as the only facility in Anne Arundel County offering a multidisciplinary approach to gastrointestinal issues.

“The patient doesn't have to ask who should I see for this type of disease. Regardless of the numbers of specialties, it is here,” Boutros said.

The new center is located on the third floor of the Tate Cancer Center, which opened in 2003 and has treated more than 8,000 people, said Karen Olscamp, CEO and President of BWMC. Boutros also heads the cancer center.

The Digestive Health Center is “an important milestone in the cancer center,” she said.

Dr. Bahador Momeni, who specializes in internal medicine, said healthcare in the United States works in silos. This new center will cut a step out of the process for those with gastrointestinal issues.

“With the recent changes in medicine, each hospital is focusing on Centers of Excellence,” Momeni said. “When you have all of (the specialists) in one place, that one plus one is more than two.”

The University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, BWMC's sister hospital, has a similar Digestive Health Center. The nearest similar center is the Gastro Center of Maryland in Columbia, which BWMC officials said does not have the same scope of services.

The 14-member team at the new Digestive Center is already part of the cancer center network, Boutros said, and will have access to the latest in research through the University of Maryland academic network.

“We are definitely honored to provide our service to Glen Burnie area, but our patient waiting area includes 5 million patients from Maryland,” Boutros said. “So we want to provide our service to all of Maryland state. We want to be recognized as a center for excellence, of referral for GI issues.”